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Japanese railway appoints second cat stationmaster

Gallery: Japanese railway appoints second cat stationmaster

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Japanese rail operators Wakayama Electric Railway Co. suffered a crushing loss recently, with the passing of one of its most famous stationmasters -- Tama the cat -- who died in June. After a period of mourning, Tama's successor has now been appointed, with her subordinate Nitama, another tortoiseshell feline, winning the promotion.

Nitama ("Tama the Second"), aged five, was elected to the position, after serving as stationmaster at Idakiso station. Her new duties will take her to Kishi Station, where Tama worked and was regarded as vice president of the company.

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And yes, this is all totally serious.

Wakayama Electric Railway Co. is a small operator serving Wakayama prefecture, about 78km southwest of Osaka. It runs small, local rail services along the Kishigawa line. The company was making a loss, destaffing its stations (at least of humans) in 2006. The original Tama -- a stray fed and cared for by Toshiki Koyama, who had taken over basic operations of the station -- was named official stationmaster in January 2007.

The cute stunt, which saw her decked out in an official uniform and adorable hat, saw passenger numbers leap by almost 20 percent as people travelled to meet the celebrity cat. The local economy was boosted by ¥1.1bn (£5.7m) as a result. Wakayama, now back in profit, even redecorated one of its trains, covering it with cartoon decals of Tama.

Her celebrity grew to the point that, after her death at age 16 -- the good always die young, unless you count in cat years -- her funeral saw an outpouring of grief and the construction of a Shinto shrine in Tama's honour. The move establishes the beloved kitty as Tama Daimyojin, elevating her to godhood.

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Nitama marked her new role by visiting the shrine, held by Wakayama president Mitsunobu Kojima. Nitama paid her respects, offered prayers to Tama, and reported her promotion to the newly deified predecessor. She wasn't alone -- locals flooded the new shrine, filling it with flowers and traditional offerings. "Tama-chan really emerged like a savior, a goddess. It was truly my honour to have been able to work with her," said Kojima. "I hope (Nitama) will contribute to boosting local sightseeing and other businesses."

Nitama will now take up Tama's duties of greeting passengers at Kishi station, and presumably taking a personal role in pest control.

Japan is no stranger to staffing its train stations with animals. In 2010, Hojo Railway Company appointed monkeys Nehime and Rakan, while Yorkshire Terrier Maron ran Okunakayama-Kougen station and Koma, a goat governed Uzen-Komatsu.